Lemon orzo with Greek chicken meatballs and garlic yoghurt – a fresh, rich and flavourful dish.
This Greek-inspired lemon orzo with chicken meatballs and garlic yoghurt is quite simply one of the best things I know – a dish that tastes of holidays, yet is easy enough for a weeknight.
Orzo, the small rice-shaped pasta, is cooked a little like a risotto: it simmers in stock and absorbs all the liquid. No water to drain off – just creamy, full-bodied pasta with fresh lemon juice, lemon zest, a little shallot, garlic and oregano. Simple and seriously flavourful.
Alongside it come oven-baked chicken meatballs, which are easy to make and need very few ingredients – they look after themselves in the oven, and there is no frying in oil or fat. They are juicy and full of flavour, and just right as a topping for the lemon orzo.
I serve it all with a garlic yoghurt made from Greek yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and zest, salt and freshly ground pepper – it is creamy and fresh and gives a lovely contrast to the rest. Finally I top it with crumbled feta, a little extra lemon zest, fresh oregano and chilli flakes – the finishing touch that really brings it all together.
An easy dish with few ingredients but plenty of flavour – and it works just as well for a weeknight as for guests.
Make a double batch of the meatballs and freeze them – then you always have a good meal close at hand.
Lemon orzo, Greek chicken meatballs and garlic yoghurt
Ingredients
Chicken meatballs
- 600 g minced chicken
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 60 g feta, crumbled
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs
- 25 ml milk
- 1 egg
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Lemon orzo
- 1-2 shallots, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 400 g orzo
- 700-800 ml chicken stock
- 1 lemon, finely grated zest and juice
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garlic yoghurt
- 200 g Greek yoghurt
- 1/2 lemon, juice only
- 1 clove garlic, grated or crushed
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
- Crumbled feta
- Fresh oregano
- Finely grated lemon zest
- Chilli flakes
Method
- Combine the ingredients for the meatball mixture, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and mix well.
- Shape the mixture into medium-sized meatballs of about 35 g each and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Spray the tops with a little oil and bake in a preheated fan oven at 210°C for about 18-20 minutes.The chicken meatballs can also be fried in a pan.Meanwhile, make the orzo and the garlic yoghurt.
- Heat a splash of oil in a pan and fry the shallots and garlic until the shallots are translucent. Add the orzo and the stock and let it simmer over a medium heat until the orzo is tender.You can start with 600 ml of stock and add more as it begins to boil dry.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon juice, stir in the oregano and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Stir together the ingredients for the garlic yoghurt and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Serve the orzo and garlic yoghurt topped with the meatballs and sprinkle with crumbled feta, fresh oregano and grated lemon zest.
Nutrition
Premium
Kan man lave kødbollerne på forhånd og f.eks. fryse dem ned og varme dem op igen i ovnen inden servering? 🙂
Hej Sofie
Ja det kan du sagtens gøre:) Jeg laver altid selv flere ad gangen og fryser, så er det så nemt til andre dage 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hejsa,
Jeg har kigget lidt på kommentarer men kan ikke se, at du svarer nogen ?
Ærgerligt når man gerne vil prøve og lave noget af dine mange lækre opskrifter!
Hej Ellinor
Jeg prøver absolut at svare alle. Nogle gange ryger beskederne af en eller anden årsag udenom et filter (hvor jeg skal godkende dem fra), og så ser jeg dem ikke – fordi de ryger direkte på hjemmesiden.
For jeg gør virkelig alt for at svare alle:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Meny har orzo.
Hej
Kan jeg erstatte Orzo med noget andet, når man ikke kan få fat på det.
Hej Suna
Uhhh den er lidt svær, for for risottoris synes jeg måske ikke vil fungere – og pasta heller ikke helt?
Skulle jeg dog finde et alternativ, så ville jeg nok prøve med risotto:)
Orzo fåes fra Änglamark i f.eks. Kvickly og Brugsen, også i Rema og Nemlig.
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hej Dianna
Du har glemt at skrive æg i farsen, så det i videoen, men det var lækkert trods de glemte æg
Kh Kirsten
Hej Kirsten
Hvor er det godt du skriver det – det er lagt på nu:)
Warm wishes, Dianna